


Kitty Love

by burningdarkfire



Category: Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens (2015)
Genre: Gen, Humor, Kylux - Freeform, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-02-09
Updated: 2016-02-09
Packaged: 2018-05-19 07:16:39
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,513
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5958490
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/burningdarkfire/pseuds/burningdarkfire
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>This is the story of how General Hux found himself kneeling in Lord Ren's room, realizing this was a secret that had to go with them to the grave.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Kitty Love

**Author's Note:**

> listen i barely know anything about star wars but i hope this is at least mildly redeemed because a) it's meant to be crack and b) a cat

Hux rarely worried when Millicent disappeared for a few days.

As cat flaps were both a safety breach and an unnecessary expense (Hux had looked it up one night when he was working his way through all the “urgent” messages in his inbox and then spent far more time than he cared to admit double-checking for any loopholes), she was generally left to roam the entirety of the _Finalizer_ , as far as she could skirt through people’s legs to get through doors, all under the protective gaze of the ship’s cameras. When she wanted Hux or his rooms again, she had an uncannily accurate knowledge of his daily routine, but as her status as a pet distinguished her as one of the few members on the _Finalizer_ who possibly couldn’t care less about the war and whether or not she would die tomorrow, most crew members were more than happy to give her attention or food whenever she wanted in exchange for her company.

Hux considered her a smart cat, having long ago figured out that she much preferred out of the way control rooms or supply closets where she could nap in peace, and he occasionally reflected as she purred on his lap that she had thankfully grown out of the phase where every single living creature she encountered had to be individually challenged with her sharp claws. She now contented herself with a narrow-eyed glare and a haughty twitch of her tail if the intruder dared to advance without evidence of treats to be had.

So when she had been gone for a week, Hux wasn’t too worried. He did, however, drop into a surveillance room after patrol to enquire if anyone had seen her on the cameras.

“Uh,” a stormtrooper said, and Hux concealed a wince. “She seems … fine, sir.”

Hux raised an eyebrow, delighting in one of the greatest perks of not having to wear a mask. He liked to make sure he could convey precisely the amount of power and authority he wielded in an eyebrow.

“We can’t have a cat getting in the way of our duties,” he said, turning away from the stormtroopers when they all remained mute, and scanning all the screens himself to no avail. “Send me a message if you see her settled down anywhere and I’ll get her out of the way.”

“Yes, sir, of course.”

The stormtroopers didn’t quite wait long enough after he had swept out of the room and he heard the giggles from halfway down the hall.

* * *

They were in the middle of a meeting when Hux, distracted by the constant rustle to his right, hissed at the bundle of black clothing that liked to be addressed as Lord Ren to “ _stop fidgeting_ ”. Ren made a sound that might have been a huff if the mask hadn’t made it into a wheeze and crossed his arms.

Ten minutes later, deep into an explanation of the construction delays on the Southern side of Starkiller, the stack of progress reports that Hux had been presented with neatly piled in between him and Ren, he saw out of the corner of his eye that his co-leader was definitely not listening and had started picking at his sleeve again sullenly.

It was while resisting the urge to slap Ren’s hand that Hux noticed it looked a lot like what he was picking off of his black robes was cat hair, and that it looked an awful lot like he was covered, in fact, in ginger cat hair, and that there really weren’t that many ginger cats on the _Finalizer_.

Hux very carefully turned back to the report he had open and turned the page as the presenter asked.

Hux had to admit he didn’t really know how the Force worked, but it appeared his mental shriek of _YOU!_ in the direction of Ren had had some effect when his companion jumped and slammed his knee into the table next to him.

The mask made figuring out exactly what Ren was thinking impossible, but Hux was quite sure that he spent the rest of the meeting with his head bowed, steadily focused on the table on front of him.

* * *

“Lord Ren,” Hux called out, lengthening his stride to catch up. Ren had perhaps hoped to make his getaway by abandoning the reports he was given on the desk, believing that Hux would stop to collect his own, but Hux had been prepared and had quickly snatched them up as he bolted out the door after the not-quite-billowing cloak.

“General Hux,” Ren replied, increasing his pace. Their height difference was only a handful of inches. Hux figured he could probably still afford to lengthen his stride a little bit more before he started to look ridiculous and did so.

“Have you seen Millicent at all?”

Ren faltered, coming to nearly a complete stop. He turned partly to face Hux, then after a moment of contemplation, he turned into an empty conference room and gestured Hux inside.

Hux obliged, although he liked to believe that seeing their commanders striding with great speed through the halls encouraged efficiency in the ranks.

“Millicent,” Ren repeated, and Hux bristled just at hearing the name through the ridiculous filter on the mask. “You named the cat Millicent?”

“ _My_ cat,” Hux corrected. He couldn’t really win a staring contest with a mask but he certainly was determined enough that he wasn’t going to lose. “Yes, I named my cat Millicent. What did you do with her?”

“She was wandering the halls. I thought she might have been a stray. I wasn’t aware the great General Hux kept a pet.” There was something of a snicker. Maybe a snort, or even a giggle. _Damn_ the mask, really.

Hux looked long and hard at Ren, contemplating his next words, then drew himself up and clasped his hands behind his back. “I can’t believe you stole my cat,” he said primly.

“I did not steal her,” Ren corrected him immediately. He rummaged in his pocket for something, and then held it out for Hux to see as if it would absolve him. “She likes my lightsaber.”

Hux took a step forward. To Ren’s credit, he did not immediately step back. To Ren’s credit again, he also did not take the opportunity to stab Hux with the lightsaber, which he appreciated. “Lord Ren,” Hux said, keeping his voice even and as pleasant as he could, “did you hurt my cat with your _stupid_ – ?”

“She is perfectly fine,” Ren replied, and although the mask did not allow for a lot of emotion, Hux could almost believe he sounded offended. Hux felt the now almost familiar thrum of the Force around Ren, and before he could ask just what exactly Ren was up to, he heard Millicent give a muffled meow from the hallway.

“Lord Ren,” Hux said again, looking through the glass door of the room, “did you just use the Force to fetch my cat?”

Ren looked at her with him, and for minutes neither of them made a move. Millicent sat outside the room and groomed her tail. They watched as a passing stormtrooper made a move as if to pick her up, looked into the room and noticed who was staring at her from inside, and then immediately straightened and briskly strode away.

“It’s more like I asked her to come,” Ren said finally, and Hux firmly believed that he said it like he was perfectly aware how unbelievable that sounded. Hux agreed with the sentiment.

“Have you been brainwashing my cat?”

“No,” Ren said defiantly, “she just likes me.”

Ren was the first to move, opening the door and picking Millicent up in his arms. Hux cursed himself and hurried out of the room after him, and they resumed walking through the suspiciously empty halls.

Ren cleared his throat. Maybe. Or the mask had just had a serious malfunction. “She seems to like my room, so I will show you the supplies I have for her.”

“Millicent doesn’t like anyone,” Hux retorted snippily, not quite yet willing to hold out his arms to ask for his cat back. “I also have more than sufficient supplies for her in my quarters, thank you.”

Ren didn’t answer, instead petting Millicent, who was letting out an all too happy purr, the little traitor, and Hux was left to stare as best as he could out of the corner of his eye at the image of the generally formidable Knight of Ren, fondly coddling a cat in his arms. _His_ cat.

“You don’t play with her enough,” Ren explained as they stopped outside of his door. “That’s why she likes me more.”

“I don’t – I don’t _what_ – ”

* * *

“No one must know,” Hux said at last. He had decided squatting was uncomfortable fifteen minutes ago and deigned himself to kneeling, joining Ren who was sitting cross-legged on the floor. He rolled the ball back towards him, the little bell inside of it tinkling, and Millicent chased after it.

“Millicent is delighted,” Ren told him.

“ _No one –_ ”

 

 

**Author's Note:**

> today i messaged my best friend of many years and said "i haven't asked this of you in something like five years but if you had told me i would come back to writing fic just for kylux and a cat i wouldn't have believed you either so can you just not judge me and read this over"
> 
> (everyone on the ship knows anyway despite hux's best efforts and now he constantly gets cat toys as anonymous gifts. millicent continues to be delighted)


End file.
